Russell Sage Laboratory

Introduction

Russell Sage Laboratory, otherwise known to students and faculty as 'Sage Lab', was opened in 1909. Mrs. Russell Sage gave RPI $1,000,000 as a memorial to her husband. The building was named after Russell Sage who, prior to his death, had been on the board of trustees. $300,000 of this money was set aside for building a lab that would be used for the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering departments.

Early Days

Sage Lab began construction in 1907 and initially cost $405,000, around $12 million in today's money. The building included 3 main sections: one wing for the electrical engineering department, one wing for the mechanical engineering department and the in-between was used by both departments. This middle section contained a large lecture hall, which is still there today and many students have class today. It also contained a large drawing room and a laboratory which contained nearly 600,000 pounds of equipment designed to test construction materials.